On My Mind 004

Writing isn't enough.

If you're trying to make a living with your writing, I've learned some important things the hard way.

The hardest? Being a writer isn't enough.

• You also have to be a marketer. Understanding your audience, crafting headlines that actually work, finding readers who care about your work. No one discovers great writing by accident anymore.
• You have to be a publicist. You’re your own PR team. Pitching yourself to podcasts, building relationships with other writers, posting on social media even when you'd rather be writing.
• And you have to be a designer. Your newsletter layout, book cover, social presence all communicate before your words do. Bad design kills good writing faster than you think.

Most writing advice focuses on craft. Better sentences, stronger characters, clearer arguments. But craft alone won't pay your bills.

I spent years thinking if I just wrote well enough, readers would find me. I was wrong.

The writers making a living aren't necessarily the most talented—they're the ones who've mastered these other skills too.

The good news? You don't have to be world-class at marketing, publicity, and design. You just have to be competent enough that they don't sabotage your writing.

The brutal truth is this: your words are only as powerful as your ability to get them in front of the right people.

You don't need to go big. Just go true.

I used to think I needed to be everywhere.

Seven social platforms. Daily posts. A "personal brand" that screamed for attention in a crowded room.

The result? Burnout by Tuesday, content that felt like performing, and an audience that didn't really know who I was.

Here's what I learned: You don't need to go big. You just need to go true.

The creator economy wants you to believe you need more.

More followers, more platforms, more content, more complexity. But what if the opposite were true?

What if you could build something meaningful by doing less?

That's what Niche of One is about.

Simple things, shared honestly. Becoming unmistakably yourself instead of another voice in the noise.

Simple beats clever.

I used to overthink everything.

My content calendar had seven different post types. My email sequence had fourteen carefully crafted touches. My pricing strategy involved three tiers, two upsells, and a limited-time bonus that expired every other Tuesday.

It was clever. It was complex. It was completely exhausting.

Then I watched a creator make $10K selling a single PDF. No funnel. No sequence. Just: "Here's the thing I made. It costs $47. Buy it if you want it."

Simple. Repeatable. Human.

Here's what I've learned: Complexity is often just fear dressed up as strategy.

We add layers because we're afraid the simple thing won't work. We create elaborate systems because we don't trust that our core value is enough.

But your audience isn't impressed by your twelve-step process. They're overwhelmed by it.

They want the thing that solves their problem. Fast. Without homework.

Simple scales. Clever breaks.

Simple can be repeated when you're tired, busy, or having a bad week. Clever requires you to be "on" all the time.

Your best work happens when you stop trying to be smart and start trying to be helpful.

The most successful creators I know have boring systems. They do the same few things over and over, really well.

Stop building a machine. Start building a practice.

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm Joe. I help creators share their unique voices simply and effectively. Here's how I can help you:

• One email, Monday thru Friday
• Learn in less than a minute
• Simple. Repeatable. Human.

Minimal Inbox, Maximum Value. Niche of One.